Building Futures Together: Nashville State’s Lasting Impact on Two First-Gen Students

In her role as president of Nashville State Community College, Dr. Shanna Jackson frequently encounters graduates who are eager to share with her the positive impact Nashville State has had on their lives.

During a recent tour of the HCA Healthcare Impact Center in Nashville, Dana Patel, director of the HCA Healthcare Foundation, sought her out to do just that.

“It was a beautiful full circle moment for me,” she said. “Nashville State really makes an impact. It did for me and my husband.”

Growing up in Dickson County, she never thought college was an option for her.

“No one really talked about college. I didn’t know how to go,” Dana said.

After graduating from high school in 2002, Patel worked for a few years before taking a chance and moving to China, where she took a job as a private tutor for a family living there.

It was there that she gained confidence in herself. After a few years of living and working abroad, she returned to Nashville and decided to pursue her goal of attending college.

“I went to the White Bridge campus and told the receptionist, ‘I want to go to college, but I don’t know where to start,” Dana said.

“She took the time to walk me through everything—from registering for classes to completing the FAFSA. She listened to my fears and talked me through them. That moment changed my life.”

Dana worked full-time while attending classes. During that time, she met her future husband, Hitesh, while they worked together. She said while it was incredibly hard balancing work, school and a new relationship, but she committed to going all in.

“It felt good, like I was moving in the right direction,” Patel said.

She graduated in 2009 with a degree in early elementary education. Then went on to Middle Tennessee State University (MTSU) to pursue her bachelor’s degree.

At the same time, after his father suffered a heart attack, Hitesh saw the impact that nurses had and the compassionate care they gave his father. He decided to pursue a nursing degree at Nashville State.

Like Dana, Hitesh was also a first-generation college student. While both attended school and worked, Dana said the experience brought them even closer together, as they had to rely on each other even more during that busy time.

“We came up with study plans together, and we would study together,” Dana said.

Dana graduated from MTSU with her bachelor’s degree and continued her career in corporate event management at Gaylord Opryland before moving to HCA Healthcare, where she is now the director of the HCA Healthcare Foundation, overseeing the organization’s philanthropic efforts throughout Middle Tennessee.

After graduating from Nashville State, Hitesh went on to receive a bachelor’s degree in nursing from Western Governors University (WGU) and then a master’s degree from Belmont University. He is a nurse practitioner at Ascension Saint Thomas Hospital, where he specializes in cardiology.

“I drive by Nashville State on a regular basis, and there’s honestly not a time that I drive by and don’t think about how the school changed my life,” Dana said.

“It changed everything for both me and Hitesh, we will always be grateful to Nashville State.”